The Fawn
by Cloudy Luminosity
Summary: Bambi is haunted by the man who shares her letter: the serial killer, Beyond Birthday. Blinded by her trauma, her eyes are opened to a new perspective on morality and justice. As her views change, so does the fate of the Kira case. [AU: Near, Matt, and Mello are three years older than canon. Everyone else is their normal age. Specific warnings inside chapter 6.]
1. And So It Begins

*** * * December 11 * * ***

A young woman and her partner sat in front of a group of computer screens in a dark room in an unmarked building in Washington DC. The woman's light brown hair ended at her shoulders. Her eyes were a warm brown that complimented her light peach skin tone. She wore a red and white baseball tee, and a pair of blue jeans. She leaned back in her chair as she watched the screens diligently, though a mildly bored look still found its way to her face.

Her partner was a young man, roughly a year younger than her. He had pale skin, and fluffy, white hair that just reached his neck, both of which contrasted against his onyx eyes. Being the anti-social person that he is, he was comfortable sitting there in his long-sleeved, white pajama top and pants. He wore socks to warm his cold toes, but didn't bother to wear shoes. He fiddled with a toy robot as he watched the screens.

She was eighteen years old, and he was seventeen. The girl's name was Amelia Stein, and the boy was Nate River. Despite being partners for two years, the pair didn't know each other's names. Instead they knew each other by their aliases: Bambi and Near. Although this would be unusual in any other work environment, it was a custom for those who work under the world-famous detective, L.

Bambi glanced over to Near, recalling when she first found out about the nature of their partnership. After she was tested by Mr. Wammy, the old man found her to be among the intelligence and skill levels of the top four students at the Wammy House Orphanage, an English orphanage dedicated to raising children to be able to succeed L when he passes. No one knew who L was—except for Mr. Wammy—but the children of the orphanage worked hard to eventually gain the rights to the name. Mr. Wammy had told Bambi that a plan was made for the top four students of the Wammy House to be split into two teams to work on cases that the great detective didn't have time to.

Mr. Wammy had told Bambi that she would be paired with Near, but when the young woman hacked into the files of the Wammy House to find any ulterior motives, she found out that the albino was not meant to be her partner at first. The original plan was to pair Bambi with someone called Matt, because their nearly identical skill sets would have boosted each other's to create a strong team, despite being ranked at the bottom of the top four. Near was meant to work with someone called Mello, because their extreme strengths would cover each other's extreme weaknesses. Apparently, there was an issue with the original Wammy Teams, because Mello hated Near. A change was made to avoid that issue, and the Wammy Teams ended up what they are today.

Bambi redirected her attention to the current case as she focused on the screens. Pictured on the screens, were live video feeds of the top suspects to the case that Bambi and Near were working on. The case was a nationwide Ponzi Scheme that they had tracked to be several years old. The team had been working on the case for the past eight months, gathering evidence and uncovering the key players. Bambi did some undercover work to plant a virus in the company computers to allow herself and Near to have complete access to all files remotely. While there she also gathered other information on the key suspects without getting too involved with them.

The pair of detectives were winding the case down to a close. The video monitoring was the last phase of the plan, its purpose was to map out the daily routines of their suspects to plan how to arrest all of them at the exact same time. Bambi's attention landed on the leader of the Ponzi Scheme for a moment before all of the screens went blank. Bambi's eyes widened in dismay.

Doubt spawned in her mind. _"Did the suspects find out? I would have sworn that the virus was untraceable."_

The brunette reached for the nearest keyboard when a familiar "L" appeared on the blank screens. Bambi sighed in relief, though her next thought was wondering why L contacted them. It was a rare occurrence, so it must be important.

The scrambled voice of L rang out in the room as he addressed the team. "Good afternoon N and B. Unfortunately for you two, this is not a leisure call." Bambi and Near exchanged glances as L continued. "Team M-squared has been failing their mission in Los Angeles, and I need the both of you out there to clean up their mess."

Bambi picked up the microphone on the team's end and turned it on before saying, "L, we're not finished with our case just yet. We need a little more time."

L's mechanical voice replied, "I am aware of that, B. Since your team is close to finishing your assignment, I will be sending you to Los Angeles while N stays here and completes the case."

Bambi wanted to argue, but she knew just how stubborn that damn detective is, so she decided to let it go. The brunette knew that she could trust her partner to finish the case. If an emergency were to come up and the team needed to do field work, Bambi was confident that their new hire, Gevanni, could handle it.

L continued, "You will meet your new partners at 9:00pm precisely at the location on the map I just put on the screen. Your flight leaves in two hours." With that, the "L" disappeared, and the screens returned to the suspects.

Bambi groaned, mildly frustrated at the situation, before shaking it off. The young woman stretched her arms over her head and stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go pack my suitcase real quick. Good luck on the rest of the case, Near. I'll see you over there when you're done."

As the brunette began to walk out of the monitor room, Near called out to her.

"Bambi." The young woman stopped and turned to face her partner. Near looked at her, twirling his hair as he continued. "I have known the members of M-squared for a long time. There is one member who will not be very receptive of you if he knows you work with me."

Bambi laughed a bit and put her hands in her pockets as she replied, "Thanks for the concern, Near. I'll keep an eye out, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

The young woman than turned around and continued to her room. She pulled out a small suitcase and quickly packed a few essentials, a few day's worth of clothes, and her laptop inside of it's cushioned case. After zipping up the suitcase, Bambi put on a navy blue hoodie, and her black, short-rimmed fiddler cap. She topped it all off with a black winter coat and plaid scarf. Bambi quickly grabbed her suitcase, left the building and hailed a cab for the ride to the airport.


	2. Friend or Foe?

When Bambi's plane touched down in Los Angeles, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. After retrieving her suitcase from the luggage claim, the brunette stepped outside, taking note that the cool night air of LA felt like the same temperature as DC when she left. The young woman stuck out her arm to hail an approaching taxicab. Nearly half an hour passed as she sat in the backseat before being dropped off a few blocks away from the meeting point. Bambi took her suitcase and paid the driver in cash before watching him drive off. Once the taxi was out of sight, Bambi picked up her suitcase and began walking down the poorly lit roads to the meeting location.

After a few minutes, she began to near the meeting place. The brunette slowed down and nonchalantly looked around to make sure that she wasn't followed. When she was certain that she was alone, Bambi turned into the alley. A small strip of moonlight was the only significant light source as she marched forward. Halfway down the alley, the young woman checked her watch: 9:00pm exactly.

Bambi scrunched her nose as began to glance around, wondering, _"Where are they?"_

She caught a glimpse of a hooded man from the corner of her eye before she heard the pounding footsteps of the man running at her. Bambi's eyes widened as adrenaline coursed through her veins. She turned and jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the fist aimed at her head. The attacker threw another punch with his left hand. Bambi dropped her suitcase and leaned back as she swept her left hand up and out, redirecting his punch to her left as their wrists came into contact. She tried to grab his wrist to pull him into her own fist, but he was too fast.

The attacker took a step forward, and Bambi took a step back. The man threw a punch with his right fist as he pulled the left one back. Bambi threw her arms up and trapped his wrist between her palms as she leaned back and directed his arm to her right. His balance didn't falter, so the two ended shoulder to shoulder, the attacker's arm still pressed between Bambi's palms.

He kicked his right leg behind her knee, making it give out. Bambi released his arm and launched herself into a backward roll before springing back up in the moonlight. The attacker charged at her again. She redirected his punch to her left, leaving him standing beside her in the moonlight. Bambi launched her open palm at his side, narrowly grazing it as he dodged.

The two continued their deadly dance along the moonlit alley. Glancing blow after glancing blow, the fight seemed evenly matched. Bambi could feel herself tiring, unused to fights with someone so skilled. She struggled against it, but her movements were becoming more sluggish, more delayed. The attacker planted his left foot in front as he pulled his right foot behind him. Bambi's eyes widened as she recognized the stance. She tried to lean out of the way, but he was too fast. He launched his right leg up as he pivoted to the left. His shin slammed into the side of her head, sending her flying to the ground on her right.

Bambi's head was throbbing, and she could no longer think straight. She shakily tried to push herself up, but she collapsed again. The sound of a metallic click caught Bambi's attention. She rolled onto her side and looked up to find herself staring down the barrel of her attacker's gun. Her breath was caught in her throat, and a wave a dread passed over her.

A voice rang out from down the alley. "What the Hell are you doing?!"

Bambi glanced over to see a man with bright red hair running toward them. When her gaze returned to her attacker, Bambi saw that the newcomer had captured his attention—though, the attacker's gun was still trained on the young woman. With her own attention no longer focused on the gun, Bambi took note that his hood had fallen down at some point in their fight, revealing his face. His straight, blond hair stopped about an inch above his shoulders. His skin was peach, and his blue eyes were narrowed in anger as he looked at the newcomer.

He appeared to recognize the redhead and angrily shouted at him. "Ryuzaki told me that this guy has been following us and is interfering with the case!"

As the newcomer reached Bambi and the blond man, he gestured at the brunette with an exasperated look. "'_This guy' _is our new partner!"

Bambi took in his words, frowning in frustration as she figured it out. _"That damn detective. He gave us all different instructions! I should have seen that coming."_

The blond was about to retort when his phone rang. Keeping the gun pointed at Bambi with one hand, he fished the phone out of his pocket with the other hand. The blond answered the phone. After a short pause, he narrowed his eyes and lowered the gun.

As he walked away to talk, the redhead helped Bambi sit up. "Sorry about that. I'm Matt, one of your new partners for the case."

Bambi shook off her frustration and looked over to respond to the redhead. "Well, it's nice meeting you, Matt—though, I wish it were under different circumstances." The brunette briefly laughed before adding, "I'm Bambi."

As Matt helped her stand up, Bambi took in his appearance. He wore a tan, fur-lined vest over a black and white stripped shirt. Dark goggles sat over his eyes, the straps hidden under his messy red hair.

The blond man returned with his phone in his pocket and a clear look of anger on his face. Matt raised a questioning eyebrow at the man, to which the blond snapped, "You know damn well what he said!"

As Bambi realized that the call must have been L revealing the truth, Matt addressed the blond and gestured at the young woman next to him. "Meet our new partner, Bambi."

The blond promptly laughed before commenting, "With a weak name like that, it's no wonder that you suck at fighting."

Bambi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she asked the blond, "Well, what's your name?"

He folded his arms over his chest. "Mello."

"That sounds just about as threatening as a pacifist, but we both know that's obviously not true either." Bambi retorted without missing a beat. "As for my name, I find it that the more the other guy underestimates me, the easier it is to win."

Mello glared at her, his fists clenched so hard that his arms were shaking. He took a step closer so that he was right in Bambi's face.

As he spoke, his voice was low and seething in anger. "You had better consider yourself lucky, pal, because if it weren't for the fact that Ryuzaki said we have to work together, I would be beating you to a pulp right now. I'll let it slide this time, but if you try to insult me again—if you so much as get in my way—I'll be sending your corpse back to that brat you work with."

Bambi felt shivers crawl down her spine at his words, and she immediately regretted her own. Mello backed away before walking down the alley to where he had parked his motorcycle.

Matt watched as Mello pulled out of the alley before speaking. "I wouldn't suggest doing anything like that again. Mello can be pretty violent if you get on his bad side."

As Bambi looked in the direction that Mello took off in, she commented, "Yeah, no kidding."

Matt smiled at the brunette as he continued, "But, he's a pretty cool guy if you're on his good side."

Bambi let out a small chuckle. "I guess that's what I'm going to have to aim for, but I don't think he'll let this go anytime soon."

"Well, we'd better get you back to HQ." Matt said before grabbing Bambi's suitcase and helping her to his car.


	3. LABB 2

The first several minutes of the drive were drowned in an awkward silence.

Matt was the first to break the silence with an amused tone. "So, you're Bambi, huh?"

The brunette smiled and shook her head as she laughed, appreciating his odd method of breaking the silence. "Yes, and you're Matt."

The redhead smirked, proud that someone else enjoyed his humor. "Well then, I'm looking forward to working with you, Bambi. It will be nice to see how well my intended partner and I will work together."

Bambi's hazel eyes opened wide. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh, come on. The file says we have the same skill set. Don't tell me that you didn't get curious and try to hack the boss' files too? How else could you have known?" He teased, smirking at the brunette again.

Bambi tossed her arms up in defeat as she playfully replied, "All right, you caught me. Obviously we're a lot alike." The pair of hackers shared a hearty laugh before the young woman added, "But, if you start finishing my sentences I'm putting you on the top of my list of people to smack. Got that?"

Matt smiled as he jokingly answered, "I've got it, oh, mighty Bambi."

The young woman smiled and looked out the window as she felt an uncharacteristic blush rising to her cheeks. As she watched the buildings go by, Bambi noticed that most of them were hotels. The car then slowed down as Matt pulled into one of the parking lots next to what was presumably Mello's motorcycle. As Matt shut off the car, Bambi looked up at the building. It looked to be about five or six stories tall. While it didn't exactly look like a five star hotel, it didn't look like a dump either.

Bambi opened her car door and stepped out of the car while Matt did the same on his side. As she tried to walk toward the entrance, a wave of dizziness washed over her. The brunette put a hand against her throbbing head as she winced. At the same time, she leaned against the car, trying to regain her balance. Matt noticed and walked around the car to Bambi.

The young man put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, do you want some help?"

Bambi lowered her hand and smiled as she stood up straight. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

Matt took his hand off her shoulder and locked the car before the two of them started walking toward the hotel entrance. After only a few steps, Bambi started wavering again and tripped over her own two feet. A pair of arms stabilized her and helped her stand up straight.

As she looked over to Matt, she awkwardly laughed and admitted, "Okay, maybe I do need some help."

"That's what I thought."

As Matt put his arm around Bambi's waist, she reached her arm up and around his shoulders. The pair slowly made their way into the hotel lobby, where a strong scent of chlorinated pool-water filled the air. Matt directed Bambi into a small elevator, which climbed to the third floor before letting them out. The hackers walked halfway down the hallway before stopping at one of the rooms.

The first thing Bambi saw as she walked in were copious computer screens lining the counters of the room. The brunette looked around and saw a door to the bathroom, a small closet, a door that she assumed led to a bedroom, and a small kitchen. After shedding her coat and scarf, Matt helped Bambi across the room to a couch and a pair of chairs surrounding a small coffee table. The couch was occupied by Mello, who was eating a bar of chocolate while holding a couch pillow to his side, hiding what seemed to be an ice pack.

Matt gestured toward the chairs as he addressed Bambi. "Go ahead and grab yourself a seat. I'll get you some ice, and then we'll brief you on the case."

As the redhead walked into the kitchen, Bambi sat down in the chair across from Mello. The blond glared daggers at the young woman as he munched on his chocolate bar. Bambi avoided holding eye contact with him, instead choosing to look over to Matt in the kitchen, feeling awkward.

After a few minutes, the redhead returned with a pack of frozen peas and a stack of manilla folders. He passed between Bambi and Mello as he handed the brunette the peas and spread the folders out on the table. The young woman quickly thanked Matt, relieved that he broke some of the tension.

Matt sat down between Bambi and Mello and handed the brunette one of the case files before he began. "The murders have been spread out over the past six months, but we have only been investigating since August. There were three murders in the time before we began our investigation."

Bambi opened the folder to find data and images from the first murder. The scene was gruesome, so she decided to give the files a more thorough look later.

"The victims were all completely unalike, each different age groups, sexes, ethnicities, you name it—if it could be different, it was different. I'll let you read the specifics on your own later." Matt pointed to the folders on the table as he continued. "Each of the crime scenes had two things in common: all fingerprints on the scene were wiped clean, and each scene had a typed message written in a cipher. It was too difficult for the cops to decode, so, they called in L."

Bambi commented, "I see, and you were called in because L was too busy."

"Bingo." The redhead smirked as he continued. "Back at Whammy's, we had some pretty advanced training in coding and decoding, among other things."

Mello was growing impatient and snapped, "Quit your bragging and just get on with it."

Matt laughed at his best friend before getting back on topic. "Anyway, when we got our hands on the messages, it still took us a month to find the key to decoding them. Luckily for us, it was the same cipher for each message. Unfortunately, very few of the messages made any sense–most of them were quotes from some sort of movie or fairy tale, or just something that seems random. If anything, they seem to be a taunt to us, and L."

Matt stopped, allowing Bambi to take all of the information in. She sat there silently as she thought. _"The messages make it clear that the culprit wanted to take credit for each of the murders. It can't be a hate crime if he killed such a variety of people. With different age groups, it's unlikely that the culprit had anything against the individuals killed. I'll have to see if they have any common ties, like going to a specific church, or something like that. But, those messages. They were difficult for these two, and they even had extensive training in code breaking. The contents of the messages make it seem like the culprit didn't mean for them to be solved, though I could be wrong. They still had to be included for some reason. Wait a minute. The messages were too difficult for the cops, so they called in L. What if the culprit isn't trying to get the cops to investigate his case, but L? Of course! And the messages were more complex than the police could handle, and Whammy's taught about code creating. Maybe..."_

When she came to her conclusion, Bambi spoke up. "It sounds to me like whoever did this is an ex-Whammy kid who is hopelessly obsessed with beating L."

Mello raised his eyebrow and exchanged glances with Matt.

The redhead then smiled before asking, "Ever hear of the Wara Ningyo murder cases?" Bambi shook her head and let Matt continue. "Well, a few years ago there was a case in which three people were killed, each with a number of Wara Ningyo dolls nailed to the walls. People started calling them the Wara Ningyo murders, but we know it as LABB. Like this case, each of the murders were different, all fingerprints were wiped from the scene, and the victims were not connected—though, our current case has more of a variety. Anyway, the last "victim" was the culprit, who attempted suicide to create the perfect crime that even L couldn't solve."

As Matt paused, Bambi argued, "If he went up against L, I really don't think that this could be the same guy. L probably got him thrown in jail when it happened. It's more likely that our culprit is some sort of copy-cat killer who admired the fame garnered by the original culprit."

"I'm not finished yet." He teased with a cocky smile. "The culprit's name was Beyond Birthday, one of the first children brought up at Wammy's to succeed L. He was a genius, but because of his obsession with beating our esteemed detective, he ran away, planning this "perfect crime". Beyond was caught and jailed by L with the help of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, but he recently escaped prison. The guards covered it up and still claim that he's in prison, but their surveillance videos say otherwise." He winked. "L found out and sent us here to solve the case that was obviously Beyond's new challenge to L"

As Matt finished, Bambi's face twisted slightly in concern as she took in the new information. _"This guy is probably smarter than me. Not only that, but he is violent and unpredictable. I'll have to be cautious from here on out."_

While Bambi was clearly lost in thought, Matt stood up and announced, "Well, I'm going to go order us some pizza. Bambi, you should get reading on those files."

The sound of her name caught the brunette's attention. She answered with a sarcastic, "Yes sir," as she sent a mock salute in Matt's general direction.

As the redhead walked toward the door, he sensed a lighter mood in the room, and playfully called out to Bambi and Mello. "I'll be back in a bit kiddies; try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Bambi chuckled and opened the manilla folder in her hands. Ignoring the images, she found a few pages containing the basic information for each of the ten murders, most likely organized by Matt or Mello for convenience.

- Victim 1:  
Date of Death: June 26  
Race: Caucasian  
Sex: Male  
Age: 34 years  
Marital Status: Single  
Sexual Orientation: Unknown  
Officer's Notes: The victim was homeless and had a history of alcoholism. The body was found in an alley.  
Cause of Death: Multiple lacerations to the chest  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated message: "The king has returned."

- Victim 2:  
Date of Death: July 17  
Race: Hispanic  
Sex: Female  
Age: 53 years  
Marital Status: Divorced  
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was on vacation. The body was found in an alley outside her hotel.  
Cause of Death: Blunt-force trauma to the head  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Have you ever seen the rain?"

- Victim 3:  
Date of Death: August 7  
Race: African American  
Sex: Female  
Age: 17 years  
Marital Status: Dating  
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was a waitress at a local café. She was disowned by her family and had been living with her girlfriend's family for two years. The body was found near the café.  
Cause of Death: Deep laceration across the throat  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

- Victim 4:  
Date of Death: August 28  
Race: Native American  
Sex: Male  
Age: 76 years  
Marital Status: Married  
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was retired. The body found in his home.  
Cause of Death: Poison  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in this land is the fairest of all?"

- Victim 5:  
Date of Death: September 18  
Race: Hispanic  
Sex: Male  
Age: 48 years  
Marital Status: Married  
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim had four children. He was a gardener, and recently gained US citizenship. The body was found near the home of a client.  
Cause of Death: Shot to the head  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Do you fear the force of the wind, the slash of the rain?"

- Victim 6:  
Date of Death: October 9  
Race: Caucasian  
Sex: Male  
Age: 23 years  
Marital Status: Dating  
Sexual Orientation: Transgender  
Officer's Notes: The victim was in a relationship with a man. His family supported him. He worked at a gay bar as a bar tender. The body was found in his home.  
Cause of Death: Electrocution  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "You can't handle the truth!"

- Victim 7:  
Date of Death: October 23  
Race: Asian  
Sex: Female  
Age: 39 years  
Marital Status: Single  
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was beginning her political career. She was a member of the town council as a Republican. The body was found outside her car.  
Cause of Death: Asphyxiation  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Young fool. Only now, at the end, do you understand."

- Victim 8:  
Date of Death: November 6  
Race: Caucasian  
Sex: Male  
Age: 62 years  
Marital Status: Divorced  
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was a Russian military veteran. He was visiting the United States to see a friend. The body was found en route from a bar to the hotel with high blood-alcohol levels. A struggle was apparent at the scene.  
Cause of Death: Multiple shots to the head and chest  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Grandmother, what great teeth you have!"

- Victim 9:  
Date of Death: November 20  
Race: Asian  
Sex: Female  
Age: 16 years  
Marital Status: Dating  
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual  
Officer's Notes: The victim was a high school dropout. She lived with her boyfriend and was jobless. The body was found in the boyfriend's house.  
Cause of Death: Stab wound through the heart  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair for me."

- Victim 10:  
Date of Death: December 4  
Race: Hispanic  
Sex: Male  
Age: 67 years  
Marital Status: Single  
Sexual Orientation: Unknown  
Officer's Notes: The victim worked as a security guard at a local baseball park. The body was found in an alley outside a local bar with impairment drugs in the system.  
Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head  
Manner of Death: Homicide  
Translated Message: "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy."

"Man, when he said that they were different, he _really_ meant it." Bambi mumbled to herself before putting the pages away and beginning to go through all of the evidence more thoroughly.


	4. Hot Blooded Frustration

*** * * December 12 * * ***

Bambi opened her eyes, dazed and confused. She found herself sitting in a chair in a hotel room, manila folders scattered around her. There was an empty pizza box on the floor, and a warm pack of peas next to her. On the brunette's lap was a folder opened to pictures of a bloody crime scene.

The young woman took note that her head had finally stopped hurting as she wiped her eyes and mumbled, "Oh, right, the M-squared investigation." She scanned the room to find a familiar man with bright red hair and goggles over his eyes sitting with his laptop open.

He looked over to her and playfully greeted, "Good morning, sleeping beauty."

Bambi yawned, still feeling groggy, and asked, "What time is it?"

"About 9:30am. You fell asleep while sifting through the photos, and I figured I would let you sleep."

The brunette blinked owlishly in disbelief. _"9:30am? That's past noon back in DC! How could I have slept so late? That's the total opposite of how my jet lag should be."_

She shook her concerns off before looking around, only to find no Mello in sight.

Matt noticed the confusion on her face and piped up as he pointed to the bedroom door. "Mello's sleeping too, but on the bed." He then closed his laptop and walked toward the kitchen. "Anyway, we should probably get some breakfast."

Bambi stretched her arms over her head before getting up and commenting, "Food sounds good."

As she walked into the small kitchen, Matt instructed, "Just take what you want. You'll have to make it yourself, though."

Bambi nodded, still feeling tired. She then checked the refrigerator and located a small carton of eggs. After preparing herself a small omelet, Bambi sat down at the dining table next to Matt. Soon after, they were joined at the table by Mello. Breakfast between the three was silent, as Mello brought a thick fog of tension to the table. When everyone was finished and ready to start investigating again, Mello's phone began to ring.

The blond answered it and was silent for a few minutes as the person on the other line spoke. Mello then before ended the call with, "We'll be there soon."

Bambi raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask the question on her mind.

Mello looked over to Matt, relaying to his friend, "They found two more scenes with encoded messages. The scenes are on opposite sides of town, though, so we'll need to split up to cover them both." He continued, telling him the locations.

As Bambi listened to the information, she became suspicious. _"Two messages on the same day? That hasn't happened before. Something's not right."_

Matt agreed, but to Mello's surprise, the redhead added, "I'll go with Bambi."

Mello's eyes narrowed. "What the Hell do you mean you'll go with Bambi?"

"Well, Bambi can't go alone, and you're the reason why." Matt paused to gesture at the bruise on her head. "So, I don't think you two would get along well enough to investigate a scene together. Besides, I want to see how well my intended-partner works with me."

Mello was obviously hurt by his friend's words and turned toward the door with a short, "Fine."

Bambi winced as the blond slammed the door shut before commenting, "_Maybe_ you should have left that last part out."

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "It shouldn't be a big deal. It's only temporary—it's not like we're trading partners or anything. Besides, I'm allowed to be curious whenever I want."

Although Bambi saw his point, she wasn't sure that his friend would. She followed the redhead out of the hotel and to his car.

As Matt drove off he explained, "We have a deal with the police that whenever they call us in, they have to leave the scene alone for an hour to give us time to investigate unseen. By the time that we get there we won't have too long, since this scene is particularly far away."

Bambi waited for a moment as she processed the information. "That's great that they give us privacy to investigate, but leaving the scene unattended for so long is pretty dangerous—especially knowing that this Beyond person was a Whammy student."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

The rest of the ride was silent as Bambi immersed herself in thought. She realized that she had never physically been to the scene of a violent crime. Despite this, the young woman wasn't too concerned—she had seen pictures and knew the general methods of investigation.

After parking in front of a small house, Matt tossed Bambi a box filled with latex gloves and shoe covers. "You'll need these. You don't want to contaminate the scene and end up one of the suspects, do ya?"

The brunette laughed at his comment. "That would be a problem, wouldn't it?"

After the pair had donned the gloves and shoe covers, Matt pulled out a camera and stepped out of the car, followed closely by Bambi.

As she cautiously followed her companion inside, Bambi mused, "I'm almost surprised that we're not in an alley—he seems to kill a lot of people in those."

Matt let out a soft chuckle. "Actually, the other body was in one."

"Figures." Bambi commented as she closed the front door behind her.

As the pair looked around the front room, Matt said, "We won't be looking over every single detail—we'll let the forensics team do that. We are here just to get a look at the scene and the message or anything that we know would point to Beyond."

"Okay." Bambi replied as she scanned the room, finding it to be completely normal.

After deciding that there was nothing to find, the young woman took a left into the kitchen. She froze in the doorway as her gaze landed on the scene. There was blood spatter everywhere. There was a pool of blood where the body once was. A bloody hammer was placed on the counter next to a sheet of paper with an encoded message printed on it. Bambi felt a strong pit of dread settle in her stomach. She placed a shaky hand against the door frame to stabilize herself, the sheer amount of blood making her feel faint.

Matt took note of her reaction and tried to lighten the mood. He lifted his camera with a quick, "smile~!"

As Bambi looked up, Matt smiled and reassured her, "We won't be here for long. I just need to get a few pictures and we can go."

The brunette smiled weakly and nodded as she said, "Okay."

She stepped aside, letting the redhead into the kitchen. Bambi took a deep breath to clear her mind before joining Matt in looking for any important details. After Matt finished taking his pictures, the pair of hackers returned to the car and left.

When they got back to the room, Matt immediately plugged the camera into a computer to upload and print the pictures. Soon after, Mello returned with his own camera and did the same. Once both sets of pictures were printed, the trio of investigators gathered around the dining table to sift through them.

Mello was the first to speak up. "Both messages are the same, but they are in a different format than usual." The blond then turned to Matt. "Hey, see if they can be translated by the same key."

Matt took the pictures as he stood up. "Can do, my friend."

As the redhead walked over to his laptop, Bambi noticed that Matt printed the picture that he took of her. The young woman frowned as she plucked the picture from the pile.

_"Why did he have to print this?" _She wondered as she scrutinized her appearance.

Bambi scrunched her nose at her sickly-pale complexion, unhappy to have such an embarrassing moment caught on camera. A light blush came to her cheeks as she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Just when she was about to toss the photo in the trash, her eyes caught something unusual in the background. "Is that...?"

The young woman asked aloud for one of the boys to answer. "What does Beyond look like?"

Matt looked up, concern clear on his face. Mello reached across the table and snatched the photograph out of Bambi's hands.

The young woman let out an annoyed, "Hey!"

Mello paid her no attention as he stared at the background of the image in his hands. Sure enough, passing by the window in the room behind Bambi was the escapee himself: Beyond Birthday.

Mello tossed the photo aside as he grabbed his keys and booked out the door, intending to find the murderer. Several minutes later, Matt's program translated the new message. When he and Bambi looked over the translated message, they realized just how different it were from the past ten. Rather than sentences, this message translated into an odd code that read:

_one-four-three  
six-five-five  
ten-five-three_

_four-twelve-one  
two-six-two  
three-eighteen-two  
nine-four-four_

_one-two-two  
five-ten-four_

_eight-one-six  
ten-three-four  
three-fourteen-one  
seven-seven-one_

*** * * December 16 * * ***

Days had passed, yet no progress had been made. Frankly, Bambi was frustrated. She was frustrated at the lack of progress being made in the case. She was frustrated at the attitude that Mello kept giving her. Most of all, she was _really_ frustrated that she still couldn't think straight.

Later in the day, while Mello was out again and Matt was on his laptop, Bambi changed into a bathing suit and made her way down to the indoor pool to cool her rising temper. Rather than joining the people in the large pool, she carefully stepped into the smaller hot tub. The young woman immediately felt the therapeutic heat relax her troubles away.

Not even five minutes had passed before she heard stomping feet approaching her, followed by the familiar, angry voice of Mello. "What do you think you're doing?"

Bambi pinched the bridge of her nose to subdue her rising temper. "Relaxing."

Mello took a step closer, so he was right behind her. His voice was low and stern as he commanded, "Get out. We have work to do."

Bambi could no longer hide her irritation as she snapped, "No, I'll be up in a bit."

Mello grabbed a fistful of her hair and began to pull, trying to drag het out. Just as quickly, Bambi reached back and latched onto his shirt before flipping him over her head and into the hot tub in front of her.

He stood up, soaking wet and fuming, as he roared, "What the Hell is your problem?!"

Bambi followed suit, standing up and getting in Mello's face, just as he did to her on that first day. Mello's eyes widened in surprise as he looked down at her.

She yelled right back at him. "I should be asking you the same thing! I haven't done anything to you and all you have done the past week is give me a hard time. I'm sick of it!"

Without another word, Bambi stepped out of the hot tub, grabbed her towel, and headed for the elevator, leaving Mello behind.

As he stood there, fully clothed in the hot tub, one of the lifeguards piped up. "Sorry about your girlfriend, pal."

Mello was pulled out of his thoughts, embarrassed and furious. He roared at the man "Shut the Hell up! That was none of your damn business!"

* * *

Author's Note: You have all of the information needed to solve the puzzle of the message if you want to give it a shot. The answer isn't revealed until chapter six.


	5. In the Fray

When Bambi reached the third floor, she quickly made her way to the room, grabbed some clothes out of her suitcase, and stepped into the bathroom. Over the course of taking a shower, Bambi heard the door slam multiple times as Mello stormed in, dried off, and stormed back out. After drying off her body, the brunette changed into a pair of jeans and a form-fitting baseball tee. As Bambi brushed her wet hair, her phone began to ring.

She picked it up, answering with a defeated, "Hello?"

"B, this is N." Bambi smiled as she heard her scrambled voice program on the other line. "I am finished with our case, and I will be flying to LA in one hour with G as a temporary escort. L has already given me your location."

"I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Goodbye."

The young woman let a sigh of relief escape her lips as the line went dead. _"Thank goodness. The sooner Near gets here, the sooner we can leave."_

Bambi put her phone down to finish brushing her hair. After that, she took a step toward the bathroom door. She promptly slipped on a puddle and landed with a loud thud. Although the brunette barely had enough time to react in her current condition, she had managed to protect her head from further damage.

As Bambi laid face-down on the floor, stunned, she heard Matt call out from the other room, "Are you okay?"

The young woman pushed herself up and began to pull her legs underneath her torso to get in the position to stand. "I'm fi—aaah!" Pain seared through her ankle, cutting her off mid-sentence. Bambi heard footsteps hurry to the bathroom as she collapsed again.

Matt's voice rang out, "Hey! Bambi, can you hear me?"

The brunette struggled through her pain to respond, "Yeah." She rolled onto her side and looked at her ankles. The right one was fine, but her left ankle was already beginning to look swollen. "I think I busted my ankle."

There was silence as Bambi carefully pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain as she shifted her ankle. She leaned against the cabinet behind her, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Matt spoke again, sounding wary. "Are... are you dressed?"

"Yeah."

The brunette would have sworn that she heard Matt sigh in relief before responding, "Okay, I'm coming in."

Matt opened the door, careful not to hit the injured investigator. He kneeled down next to Bambi and put his arm around her waist as she put her arm over his shoulders. After helping her up, Matt helped her out of the bathroom and to the couch, walking slowly as the brunette hopped on her right leg. Bambi sat down and carefully lifted her legs onto the couch, wincing at even the slightest movement from her left ankle.

The young man tried to lighten the mood as he smiled and commented, "Man, first you get beat up by Mello, and now by gravity. This just isn't your week, is it?"

A bitter laugh escaped Bambi's lips. "You could say that again."

"We're out of frozen peas, so I'll be right back with an ice pack for that." Matt explained before heading out the door.

Bambi sat there in silence, trying to ignore the pain as she looked at the window. Although it was covered by a curtain, watching the lighting behind it fade was enough to pose a mild distraction from her ankle. Another several minutes passed before she heard the door open. The young woman looked up expectantly, but was quickly disappointed to find a grumpy-looking Mello entering the room. She folded her arms and pouted. Bambi returned her attention to the window as she thought, _"Oh, great, it's Sir Yells-A-Lot."_

The blond paused as he looked at Bambi with mixed emotions. He walked towards the couch without a word. Once there he gracelessly grabbed her legs and tossed them aside to make room for himself to sit. His irritation caused him to put so much force behind the action that the rest of the young woman followed suit and fell off the couch.

Involuntary tears streamed down Bambi's face in reaction to the intense pain. She still couldn't put the pressure on her ankle that she needed to walk away. Bambi kept her face turned away from the blond as she bit her lip. Her fingers dug into the couch, ripping the fabric as she sat there and tried to contain herself.

Mello sat down on the couch, assuming that the brunette was just being a drama queen like most other girls he knew were. He took a bite from his chocolate bar and looked up to find his best friend standing in the doorway, ice pack in hand, as he stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

Matt looked at his blond friend, visibly frustrated, before saying in an unusually stern voice, "We need to talk."

Rather than waiting to help the brunette up, Matt slipped an arm under her knees and his other arm behind her back. He lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom. After placing her on the bed, he walked back out, closing the door behind him.

Bambi was humiliated that she was in such a pathetic state that she had to be carried away from a conflict. She couldn't even stay strong enough to stand on her own in front of her opponent. Bambi laid back on the bed, put a pillow over her face and let out a frustrated and exasperated sigh.

~o~

After closing the door behind him, Matt walked over to Mello crossed his arms and began lecturing him. "Dude, this is starting to get ridiculous, and it needs to stop."

Mello's lips formed a thin line as he narrowed his eyes, avoiding eye-contact. He felt like a child.

~o~

After Bambi calmed down a bit, she noticed a cool breeze caressing her exposed skin. She scrunched her nose in confusion as she began to pull the pillow off her face: the window wasn't open earlier. Once the pillow was fully removed, Bambi recoiled in fear. In front of her, trying to creep onto the bed, was a familiar man with messy black hair and a slasher smile on his face.

Bambi opened her mouth to scream for help, but he was to fast. Like a lion catching its prey, the murderer pounced on her, sitting on the brunette's midsection as he held a cloth over her mouth and nose. Bambi desperately tried to pry his hands off, but he was just too strong.

~o~

Matt continued, "The only thing she did to you was insult you the first day. That's it! Nothing else. She even tried to work with you throughout the week, but you wouldn't have it. The only reason you have to be mad at her is because she works with Near, and you can't judge her solely off that!"

Mello looked back up to Matt and yelled, "If you like her so damn much why don't you just ask to permanently work with your _i__ntended-partner_?"

Matt rolled his eyes at the comment. "Oh, come on. Is that what this is about? I explained that to you already. It's not like she's going to be here forever, and, like it or not, we _all_ have to work together."

~o~

Bambi could feel the drugs in her system taking over to leave her unconscious in a few minutes. Her head was beginning to feel funny, and it was getting difficult to feel her arms. She urgently needed to get away. As Bambi continued to struggle against the cloth, she looked at her attacker. Beyond's arms were long enough that Bambi wouldn't be able to reach his head to retaliate, but his stomach wasn't. If she tried to strike there, he would either double over in pain, or arch himself so his stomach was out of reach, leaving his head vulnerable.

Dubbing this a win-win situation, Bambi decided to go for it. With one hand, she threw a punch at the murderer's gut, and he took the second option. Just as quickly, Bambi took her other hand and punched him in the temple, causing him to fall to the side. Taking advantage of this, Bambi rolled out from under him and onto the floor with a low thud.

~o~

Mello directed his attention to the bedroom door, having thought that he heard something. Matt continued, "Besides, I think that if you would just give her a chance you two might actually get along, and that would make it so much easier for us to work together and actually make some progress."

Mello cut Matt off by shushing him.

"Have you been listening to any of th—"

Mello cut him off again, this time asking, "Did you hear that?"

Matt furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, following Mello's gaze to the door. Concerned, he walked across the room, calling out, "Hey, Bambi, are you alright in there?"

~o~

Bambi heard Matt's voice calling out to her, but she couldn't distinguish what he said. She was so drugged that she could barely move, let alone call out for help. She struggled to crawl toward the door, which she could now see had been locked. As soon as she made it past the bed, her arms were pulled to her sides. Beyond sat on her back, blocking any effective movement. He then pulled the cloth under her head and back onto her nose and mouth, holding it there until she blacked out.

~o~

Matt called out again as he reached the door, "Bambi?"

He took hold of the door knob and tried to let himself in, only to find that the door was locked. Matt's eyes widened in fear, and Mello sprang up, both of them painfully aware that she couldn't stand on her own, let alone get up and lock the door. Matt ran to a box in the corner of the room to find some tools to pick the lock.

As he searched, a man's laughter rang out from inside the bedroom, "I'd like to thank you two for this, especially you, Mihael."

At the sound of his real name Mello ran to the door and tried to force his way through.

Satisfied with the reaction, Beyond continued in a mocking tone. "It would have been much more difficult to acquire my prize if it weren't for you~."

The voice fell silent, and less than thirty seconds later, Mello managed to break down the door. He rushed inside to find the blankets and a pillow strewn about, and the open window: the escape route.

Mello ran to the window, looking out. He saw the fire escape underneath the window, and Beyond making his way to a black car with Bambi's limp body draped over his shoulder. Mello launched himself out the window and onto the fire escape as he tried to descend as quickly as possible.

As he got closer to the bottom, Mello heard the car start, so he skipped the final ladder and jumped over the edge. He ran after the car, but it was much faster than him, and sped off into the night. Mello stopped the chase, cursing himself for leaving the keys to his motorcycle in the room. Back in the bedroom, Matt looked around for any note that Beyond might have left behind. In his search, he found a small USB drive placed in plain sight on the night stand.

Seven hours later, Mello had just gotten off the phone with the Chief of Police. He walked over to Matt, informing him, "They ran the plates. Apparently it was the stolen vehicle of his last victim. He said that he would have his patrol officers keep an extra eye out for it."

Matt nodded his head, his eyes glued to his screen.

Mello continued, referring to the USB drive that Matt had found earlier. "Find anything yet?"

Matt replied, "No, not yet. I'm still trying to make sure that there is nothing on it that will corrupt our files."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Matt briefly glanced at the door before returning to his laptop, as Mello, though surprised, went to the door and opened it. Standing there were Near and Gevanni, holding a few suitcases. Mello narrowed his eyes at his rival, but let them in. Gevanni set the suitcases down in the closet before making his leave, wishing the team luck as he closed the door behind him.

Near looked around the room before asking, "Where is Bambi?"

Matt piped up, knowing that Mello wouldn't want to admit it to Near, "Beyond has her."

Near frowned and spoke with an unusual tone in his voice. "You let a serial killer kidnap my partner?"

Mello clenched his fists, and Matt sighed at the comment, before replying, "Yes, and we are working on finding them now. The files for the rest of the case are on the table."

Near waited for a moment before shuffling to the table. He twirled his hair as he opened the first file.


	6. Prisoner

Author's Note: Alright, guys. From this point on, _The Fawn _is rated M. Although most M-rated stories are rated for sexual situations, this is rated for the (mostly) off-screen violence that occurs and the psychological damage from it. You have been warned. As a side note, being familiar with the character Beyond Birthday may help this arc make sense.

* * *

*** * * December 17 * * ***

Near had spent all morning looking through every detail of the evidence. He currently had Beyond's latest message in his hands; the other ten messages, both translated and untranslated, were spread out on the floor in front of him. He had been looking back and forth between the message in his hands and the first ten as he figured out the pieces to the puzzle behind the last message.

Near smirked in satisfaction, having figured out the secret, and announced, "The last message says: The fawn is mine."

Matt looked over to him as he asked, "Where did you get that from?"

Near twirled his hair. "The first number in each row corresponds to the message number, if you give them numbers in order of when they were recovered. The second number of each row corresponds to that number word in the decoded message, and the third number corresponds to a letter in the word. For example: the first row reads "one-four-three." The first decoded message reads "The king has returned," the fourth word of the message is "returned," and the third letter is "t". If you use that pattern for the rest of the message, you get: the fawn is mine."

Mello burst out, "That's great, but what the Hell is it supposed to mean?"

Near looked at the blond. "Are you familiar with the Disney film _Bambi_?"

Matt now realized where this was going, and said to himself, "Of course!" The redhead continued, explaining for Mello, "The main character is a young deer—a fawn—named Bambi; so, our own Bambi—a young woman—must be the "fawn" Beyond's referring to."

Near looked at Matt and added, "Yes, and since he was at the house with you two, he must have planned to take her then. The only reason he didn't at that time was because you were there with her."

~o~

Bambi's eyes fluttered open. As her senses returned to her, the young woman could feel her body aching. As she looked around, the hacker could see that the room was dark except for a strip of light across from her. After a moment of contemplation she decided that it was was coming from underneath a door. The small amount of light was just enough to make it so her eyes couldn't adjust to see in the dark room.

_"There's no doubt that Beyond did that on purpose,"_ she thought. _"I need to come up with a way out of here. It will be harder without my sight, but doable."_

The young woman took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She then closed her eyes to allow herself to focus on her other senses. Bambi could feel that she was sitting up against a wall. Her arms were being held over her head by a cold metallic material that was tightly bound around her wrists: shackles.

_"I need to think of something I can use—something I actually have on me—to pick the lock," _she realized before moving on.

She then tried to move her arms. She soon realized that she was only capable of moving them a few centimeters. As she moved, she heard a creaking and clanking sound. Bambi's heart nearly stopped at the noise, fearing that she may have alerted Beyond that she is awake. After a few moments of silence, she had concluded that Beyond was likely too far away to hear her, and the shackles had to be attached to the wall above her by chains.

Bambi took another calming breath before focusing on her lower half. She felt the cool floor with only her bare feet. A jolt of pain went through her ankle as she shifted. The hacker bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain. As the sharp pain subsided into the dull feeling that she had been ignoring, Bambi deduced that she was still dressed, the floor was made of concrete, and her ankle was still either broken or sprained.

The captive investigator took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of musty and stale air with a hint of saltiness. With that information, she could tell that this building hadn't been occupied in a long time, no one had been killed here recently, and the room was likely near the ocean.

Given her last observation, Bambi realized, _"With the ocean nearby, I may still be somewhere in LA."_

Her attention was quickly drawn away from her thoughts as she heard a repetitive sound from the hallway getting louder and higher in pitch: someone was coming. As her heart rate began to race, Bambi took a shaky breath in attempt to calm herself. She knew enough about violent criminals and kidnappers to know that as soon as he got what he wanted, Beyond would kill her. She would have to give him no reaction if she wanted to live to see another day.

~o~

Back at the hotel, Mello addressed Matt as he asked, "Hey, did you figure out what was on that USB drive yet?"

Matt sighed before answering, "Well, I found one thing on it, but every time I try to open it, all I get is a message saying "not connected." I'm not entirely sure what it's connecting to, but I think we have to wait to see." He tried opening the file again, but to his surprise, he didn't get an error message. His eyes widened in disbelief. "It's working."

Mello stood behind his friend so he could see too, and Near looked up at the screen from his spot on the floor. What appeared to be a live video feed popped up on the screen. It was mostly dark, but the boys were just able to make out a figure in the room, chained to the wall. Light flooded into the room as the door opened. The trio of investigators could clearly see that the figure was their missing partner.

~o~

Bambi looked up as the door opened, the light nearly blinding her. She saw the silhouette of a man with messy hair and baggy clothes: most likely Beyond Birthday. As he approached her, she tried to pull her legs to her chest defensively. The man slammed his prisoner's legs to the ground and sat on her knees so she couldn't move.

He was close enough that his head blocked out enough light for Bambi to begin to make out his facial features. After a moment, the brunette recognized him as Beyond Birthday.

"You have such a childish name, Bambi—not that I judge people by their names." The murderer paused, watching his prisoner's face intently.

She narrowed her eyes and looked away, refusing to respond to his unusual statement.

After a few moments of silence, Beyond asked, "Do you know what name I like better than Bambi?"

The conversation made no sense, so Bambi decided that it must be one of his tactics to unnerve someone. Although she watched him out of the corner of her eye, she still refused to turn her head and respond.

"Amelia Stein," he cooed as his slasher smiled returned.

Bambi's heart began racing at the sound of her real name. She made sure that it wasn't in any of the files at the Whammy House Orphanage, so this proved that Beyond had done his research. She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself down, mentally repeating, _"No reaction. Give him no reaction."_

Beyond continued as a teasing sweetness laced his voice. "It suits you so well, Amelia, yet you chose to go by a name from a children's movie. Why is that Amelia? Do you not wish to be Amelia Stein?"

She still refused to answer. The murderer became impatient, and frustrated at his prisoner's lack of response. He roughly grabbed the lower half of her face. Bambi's eyes shot open as he yanked her head to face him, forcing her to look him in the eye. A cold sweat began to drip down her neck as Beyond reached behind him with his other hand and pulled out a knife. He brought the knife to his prisoner's face, caressing her cheek with the flat section.

"My, my, Amelia, what a pretty face you have." He turned the knife, making a shallow cut across her cheek. She involuntarily winced at the pain as he continued, "It's almost a shame that you have to go this way." Beyond licked the end of the knife where her blood was as he emphasized, "Almost." He let go of her face and stood to leave. He closed the door behind him, leaving his prisoner in the darkness again.

Bambi let out a shaky breath as she closed her eyes. Tears of terror trickled down her cheeks as frightened chills went down her spine. Her palms tightened around the chains to her shackles as she tried to calm herself and think of a way out of the situation.

~o~

The boys heard bits and pieces of the conversation, and they watched as Beyond left the room.

Mello was the first to speak as he ordered Matt, "See if you can track the location of that camera."

Matt's fingers went flying on the keyboard, and in a matter of minutes he had the location.

"Well?" Mello asked impatiently.

Matt was hesitant before replying, "It's pretty far away, but there was no security blocking me from the location. It took me half a day of nonstop work to get through the security on the USB drive, so—"

"He must be baiting us," Near interjected as he twirled his hair. "Remember that Beyond is interested in L, not us. He will do whatever it takes to get us out of his way."

Mello narrowed his eyes at Near as he raised his voice. "Well, what do you suggest we do? We can't just leave her there! We know where Beyond is now, so we should catch him!"

Near looked at him in mild irritation. "We have to think carefully about our options and create a plan of action. If we go in without thinking we will get ourselves killed."

~o~

Bambi felt like she had been there for hours trying to think of a way out. She heard footsteps in the hallway again and tensed, knowing who it would be. The door opened and the light almost blinded her once more. She saw the silhouette of Beyond Birthday with a knife in his hand as he rapidly approached her. The murderer sat on his prisoner's legs before she could move them.

_"No reaction," _Bambi mentally repeated as she tried to calm herself. _"Give him no reaction."_

~o~

Matt yelled out to the team, "He's back in the room!"

Near and Mello gathered around the screen to watch. Their ears were quickly greeted by muffled cries of pain. Near began trembling at the sight. Unable to handle watching his partner be tortured, he walked away and began fiddling with a bag of dice that Bambi had bought him. Not long after that, Matt looked down. Mello remained staring at the screen, his fists clenched, and his body shaking in rage.


	7. Be Brave

*** * * December 19 * * ***

It was the middle of the day on the day after the video feed first worked. The boys had decided to take turns monitoring Bambi on the screen as they decided on a plan of action. It was currently Mello's turn.

~o~

Bambi sat there, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily. Her eyes were closed and old tears had dried on her face. Her arms and sides were covered in bloody slashes. They were just shallow enough to keep her from losing too much blood, but they were painful. The young woman didn't know how long she had been sitting there. It felt like she had waited for an agonizingly long time, but she couldn't be sure. She knew that she had to wait until she was capable of moving again to make her escape, and she would have to do that at soon as possible.

Bambi took a deep breath as she pulled down on her chains to keep them from making noise as she moved. She shifted both of her legs so that she was sitting on her calves, tightening her lips at the searing pain coming from all over her body as she moved. The prisoner did her best to ignore her body's protests as she focused on the task at hand.

Using her good foot, Bambi pushed herself upwards. At the same time, she bent her elbows, keeping her wrists where they were before she moved. She raised herself up just high enough to reach the bobby pin that she had left attached to the back of her bra. Moving as swiftly and silently as possible, the detective used the bobby pin to pick the locks on her shackles, freeing her wrists.

Bambi quietly dropped her arms, careful not to disturb the shackles and cause a noise. She slowly crawled toward the door, ignoring the pain searing through her body. When she reached the door, the brunette felt around, searching for the doorknob. Once she found it, she realized that the door was unlocked. Although she was initially suspicious, Bambi calmed herself down. _"He probably thought I wouldn't be able to escape. It would be pointless for him to lock the door if he's the only one using it."_

The brunette peeked out the door, watching for Beyond. When she was certain that she couldn't see or hear him, Bambi opened the door completely and pulled herself up to stand on her good foot. The hallway seemed to be falling apart, confirming that this building had been long unused. To her left, the hallway continued before it met with an intersecting hallway. Bambi frowned. _"I'll get caught right away if I get lost in a maze of hallways, better not go left."_

To her right, the hallway continued for around thirty yards, ending at a door with a broken "Exit" sign hanging above it. Bambi smiled at the sight: that was where she needed to go. She leaned on the wall and hopped on her good leg toward the door. When she opened it, she saw a window to the outside, and a flight going down on her left. Next to the door was a faded "4". The brunette smiled as she hopped over to the stairs.

~o~

Mello watched as Bambi escaped her shackles and left the room, admiring that she was capable of such a feat in the condition that she was in. Still, he knew that she wouldn't be able to get very far on her own.

He called out to Matt, "Bambi escaped. Are you going to tell me where she is now? We need to help her."

Matt sighed and told his friend, "Dude, she's a seven-hour drive away—_with_ speeding. We won't make it to her on time."

Near added, "And there's still the matter of the trap to worry about."

"Oh, so we're just going to leave her there to die?!" Mello clenched his fists before looking over to Matt. "If you told me where they were, we could have reached her in time!"

"It's not like I knew that this was going to happen!" The redhead raised his voice at the accusatory tone in Mello's statement. "You were ready to kill her just a few days ago, anyway. Why do you care about her well-being all of a sudden?"

Mello narrowed his eyes. He had realized that he had been treating her more harshly than he probably should have, but he certainly wasn't going to admit to anyone that he was wrong. His voice was low as he commanded, "Shut up."

Matt recoiled at the statement, eyes wide as he stared at his best friend in disbelief. After a few moments, he narrowed his eyes and a frown settled on his face. Meanwhile, Near had been sitting on the floor, twirling his hair as he weighed their options.

~o~

Bambi had been struggling through her descent for a few minutes. She was just between the third and second floors when she heard the pounding of footsteps as they rushed up the stairs toward her. Her heart sunk and she backed up slightly as she realized what was happening. _"Shit! What do I do? What do I do?"_

The young woman knew that she was far too weak to fight back, and she didn't think that she could survive crashing through the window onto the ground from this height. She backed up as she desperately tried to think of something. Beyond reached her before she could make a decision.

Bambi tried to hobble away, but he tackled her to the ground. He dragged his prisoner back to the room as she kicked and screamed, desperately trying to get away or at least get someone to help. Beyond threw her into the room and dragged her by her arms back to the shackles. Once her wrists were secured, the murderer wrapped his bony hand around her neck.

His eyes were wide open, and his voice sounded more frantic than before as he spoke. "I tried being nice to you, Amelia, I really did. But here you are, rejecting my hospitality. You've hurt my feelings, Amelia, and you will be punished for that."

He pulled his knife out. Bambi frantically tried to push him away, involuntary tears streaming down her face.

~o~

The boys were silenced as they heard the familiar muffled sounds of Bambi and Beyond come from the computer again. Near looked down, and Mello addressed Matt, "Get your car started. You're taking us to them. I'll call and get a SWAT team set up on the way there. You guys can stay in the car as surveillance, but I'm going in after them."

Matt and Near agreed to the plan, and the three of them headed out.

*** * * December 20 * * ***

Beyond had come back multiple times throughout the night. Bambi's spirit was broken at the failed escape attempt, and her sense of time was distorted due to the numerous amounts of torture sessions that she had to endure. The brunette sat there, chained to the wall as she kept going in and out of consciousness. Her body was covered in slashes and blood. Her clothes were barely holding together because of the many long cuts that were made through them.

Her eyes were glazed over from tears that she could no longer cry. Her breathing was ragged and labored. The time between her breaths was slowly increasing. Bambi's eyes started to close as a surreal feeling washed over her, beckoning her into the welcoming arms of death. As she struggled against it, a part of her began to wonder if it would really be so bad.

~o~

Mello stood with the SWAT team leaders around a table with floor plans of the building that they had determined to hold Bambi. Like the rest of them, Mello was dressed in a SWAT uniform with a bullet-proof jacket and walkie-talkie on his belt.

Matt's scrambled voice rang out from the walkie-talkies. "Each leader knows they're instructions, right?"

Mello responded as he put on his protective visor, "Yes, and we're moving out. Over."

The teams moved into position and waited for the signal. As soon as it was given, SWAT members poured into the building. Mello led his team up the stairs to the top floor. They ran down the hallways to check their assigned rooms, followed quickly by Mello. He opened the first door to find a bunch of old desks. The next door he tried contained broken filing cabinets. The third door he opened led to Bambi.

Mello's heart sunk at the sight, and he felt a slight pang of guilt. The brunette was looking down at her feet, barely reacting. The blond ran across the room to the fourth investigator, kneeling down next to her. He took off his helmet, placing it on the ground next to him before he carefully put his hand under her chin.

He lifted her head up and said, "Bambi, look at me. It's me, Mello."

Her pained, hazel eyes slowly trailed upward and met his concerned, blue ones. After a few moments, a hint of recognition sparked in her dull eyes. She opened her mouth, and weakly whispered, "Mello...?"

Her voice trailed off, but that was enough to tell the blond that she was alive and somewhat aware of what was going on. He assured her, "I'm gonna get you out of here."

Mello moved Bambi's head so that it would lean against the wall before removing his hand. He then pulled out some tools from his belt and began picking the locks to the shackles.

Bambi watched, barely conscious, as he freed her arms, carefully placing them in her lap. Mello started to take off his jacket, meaning to put it on the brunette as he carried her out of the building. He only got the left side off when a soft beeping noise sounded off. Mello's eyes widened, and he threw himself on top of Bambi, shielding her from the fires of the explosion as she lost consciousness.

He felt a burning sensation on his left side encompassing everything from his hip up to his face, including his arm. He pushed himself up with his good arm to see the room in shambles. Mello knew that the building was old and not very structurally sound to begin with; this explosion would bring down the building for sure. In the distance, he could hear calls from the radio telling the SWAT members to evacuate.

Mello looked over to Bambi. She was unconscious on the floor, but mostly unharmed from the explosion. He grabbed the young woman, lifting her up with mostly his good arm. He then began running down the hall and out of the building, ignoring the intense pain.

When Mello made it out of the building, one of the SWAT members approached him. "Sir, L instructed the ambulance to come here. He wanted me to tell you that he wants you and the girl to stay together while in the hospital."

Mello nodded, and began walking to the ambulance. Halfway there, he was met with medics who tried to help him to the vehicle.


	8. A New Leaf

Hundreds of miles away, L had been working on the Kira case. The detective had sent twelve FBI agents to monitor the members of the Japanese Kira Task Force a few days ago. He received no new information from them, and was focusing on the information that the task force had been digging up.

As L was thinking, Watari walked in the room, interrupting the silence with urgent news. "Ryuzaki, I just spoke with Near about the case in LA. Apparently, Beyond kidnapped a few days ago and tortured her. When Mello went in with the SWAT team to rescue her today, a bomb exploded, injuring him. Beyond was not found in the vicinity of the building. Mello and Bambi are currently in the hospital under the aliases of John and Jane Smith."

This was very frustrating for L to hear. He put his thumb to his lip as he thought. _"When he was arrested for the LABB murders, it was clear that Beyond wanted to defeat me as a criminal. He must have that same goal now because he was unsuccessful. His actions make it very clear that he wants to get rid of the current investigation team to get me to investigate._

_Beyond knows his way around Wammy's, so it's no surprise that he managed to get information on the Whammy Teams. He must have known that the four of them would be difficult opponents if they worked together. That has to be what made him decide that he had to split them up to beat them._

_Beyond most likely went after Bambi first because she is a woman—no, he absolutely went after Bambi first for that reason. Using what he learned about the others, Beyond had to have known that Mello tends to be impulsive if he gets emotional. That must be why he tortured Bambi. He needed something to bait Mello, who he knew would be the hardest to kill, given his ability to fight._

_That explains why he did it, but what to do with the investigation?"_

L sat in front of his laptop and dropped another sugar cube in his tea. As he looked at the screen showing the Kira Task Force, the detective mumbled, "I'm too busy with the Kira case, so I can't take it on. It has to go to the old investigation team."

L took a sip of his tea as he continued his contemplation. _"With what she endured, I'm certain that Bambi will be incapable of thinking clearly about anything relating to Beyond. Additionally, Beyond will likely take another chance to go after her, knowing that she will be both mentally and physically handicapped. It would be too dangerous to leave her on the team, or anywhere near LA._

_I can't allow Mello to investigate, either, because Beyond now knows that he can easily use him. I have to keep Mello as far away from the situation as possible so that he can't interfere._

_That leaves Near and Matt. I'll have to leave the investigation to them._

_But, what to do with Bambi and Mello?"_

The detective stood back up and looked out the window. _"Obviously they can't stay there, but I have to get them somewhere where Beyond can't find them or antagonize them in any way. It also has to be with someone who will keep a close eye on them to prevent Mello from trying to return to the investigation._

_With those restrictions, the best place for them to be is here with me._

_Besides that, I will also have the benefit of their help on the Kira case."_

L informed Watari of his decision, sending the older man off to retrieve the two young adults from the hospital in California.

*** * * December 22 * * ***

Bambi slowly opened her eyes to find herself laying down in a bright room. She carefully moved her stiff arms up to rub her eyes and sharpen her focus. When she looked down, the young woman saw that her arms were covered in bandages. She scrunched her nose, surprised at the sight. The brunette then looked down past her arms. She could see that she was wearing a hospital gown, and a blanket was draped over her legs.

As Bambi looked to the side, she saw Mello sleeping in his own hospital bed. He was also in a hospital gown, but his bandages only seemed to cover his left arm and the left side of his face. The brunette frowned. _"Did Beyond do this?"_

She could now vaguely remember Mello coming to her rescue, but she passed out midway through it. Her eyes traced his sleeping form as she wondered what happened to him. His face seemed so peaceful when he wasn't busy yelling at her. A light blush rose to Bambi's face at the thought.

Just then, a nurse walked in. Bambi redirected her attention to the nurse as she smiled and said, "Oh, good. You're awake."

The nurse checked Bambi's vitals on the monitor that she had been attached to. She then picked up the her patient's chart and scribbled a few things down.

She looked up at Bambi and said, "I'm going to ask you a few questions to see how you are doing."

"Okay."

"What is your name?"

Bambi hesitated as she realized that she was probably registered under a fake name. "I don't remember."

The nurse recorded her answer before saying, "Your name is Jane Smith." She then continued, asking, "Are you married?"

"Uh, not that I'm aware of."

The question and answer session continued. The nurse eventually began asking questions that Bambi could actually answer, like who the current president is, and what color her eyes are. After she finished asking questions, the nurse flipped the page on Bambi's chart.

"Well, Jane, you have slight amnesia. You keep forgetting your name, information about your family, and your husband, John," she gestured to Mello. Bambi's eyes widened and a blush rose to her cheeks again as she glanced to the blond. The nurse didn't notice, and continued speaking. "You have been unconscious for the past few days." She paused as she turned the page. "You also have over 200 stitches total, a few burns around your elbows and feet, and a broken ankle."

The nurse put the chart down before looking at Bambi with a warm, almost sad, smile on her face. The brunette, still jumpy from her experiences the past week, frowned and let out a panicky, "What?"

"You are a very lucky woman, Mrs. Smith. Your husband laid his life on the line to save you, even going so far as to use his own body to protect you from an explosion. He must love you very much," she finished, and left, closing the door behind her.

Bambi stared down in disbelief as she tightly clutched the end of the blanket. After a few minutes she looked over to Mello. _"Why would he protect me like that?"_

About half an hour later, the blond stirred and opened his eyes.

As he carefully sat up, Bambi looked over at him and asked, "Married?"

"What?" he asked with a tone of feigned innocence. "Matt and Near wanted us to stay in the same room, and that was the only surefire way I could make that happen. Besides, we fight enough to look like an old married couple anyway."

The brunette let a small chuckle escape her lips. "That we do, Mello. That we do."

Bambi looked down, still feeling weird about the whole situation. Just a week ago Mello hated her, and now he's off using his body to shield her. He's even making her laugh instead of yelling. It just didn't feel right.

She shifted awkwardly before looking back up at Mello. "Why are you acting so weird? You hated me before, but now you're…" she gestured to his side. "Why?"

Mello sighed before responding, "Look, I've realized that I haven't been fair to you, and I want to change that. Let's just start over." He stuck out his good hand, "Hi, I'm Mello."

Bambi smiled at his words and met his hand in the middle. "Thanks for saving me, Mello. I'm Bambi."

Mello smiled back at her, and the nurse walked back in.

"Mr. Smith," she said, addressing Mello. "Your father is here with clothes for you two. I just need to do one last checkup before I can discharge you."

The nurse did her final checkups and let them both sign out. She then opened the door, letting in the familiar friendly face of Mr. Wammy.

He greeted the young investigators. "Good afternoon, John, Jane. I've brought clothes for the two of you." He placed their clothes on their separate beds. "I'll let you both get changed now." He then left, closing the curtain behind him.

Mello smirked at Bambi. "Well, _Mrs. Smith, _since we both know we aren't actually married, I'd like some privacy. I'm sure you won't mind, either." He pulled a second curtain between the two beds, allowing them both to get changed.

It was difficult with her broken ankle, but Bambi managed to get changed in ten minutes. While changing, she noticed bandages around large sections of her legs and torso. The brunette than stood up using her crutches and went outside to meet with Mr. Wammy and Mello. The elderly inventor then led the young adults to a dark limousine with tinted windows. He sat in the front, leaving Bambi and Mello in the back seat.

Once he began driving, Mr. Wammy addressed the pair. "L has instructed me to take the two of you to him. I have already packed your belongings, with the help of Matt and Near. Our flight will depart as soon as we arrive."

Mello narrowed his eyes and turned his attention to the window at the news. Bambi decided not to ask, unwilling to bring his foul mood to be focused on her again. Despite not asking, she was pretty certain that he was unhappy about being taken off the case in LA.

Bambi looked back to the front of the car and asked, "L is in Japan, right?"

"Correct, and while we are with L, you are to call me Watari. Additionally, I will pay for your medical bills, so there is no need to worry about that."

Bambi smiled and thanked him. Even though she had the money to pay for it herself, it was a kind gesture. The rest of the car ride was silent as Watari drove to a nearby airfield. He parked the car near stairs leading up to a private jet. Another man came out to help take the suitcases.

Bambi approached the stairs and put her crutches on one arm, holding onto the railing with the other as she hopped up the stairs on her good foot, followed closely by Mello. Bambi, Mello, and Watari then took their seats. Shortly after that, the airplane took off. The brunette looked out the window, watching as the plane began to fly over the Pacific Ocean.


	9. Trust

*** * * December 23 * * ***

Bambi had slept through most of the plane ride, her body still exhausted. After the plane landed Watari led Bambi and Mello to another black car. The inventor had been driving the pair of investigators for a little over an hour as they conversed.

Bambi recoiled in disbelief. "What? No way!"

"It's true," Mello bragged.

"Only Watari knows what L looks like."

"No," he corrected with a smirk. "Watari, Roger, and I know what he looks like."

She raised an eyebrow. "Who's Rodger?"

"He runs the Wammy House."

"Oh," she trailed off before turning back to the blond. "Wait, we're getting off topic. No offense, but why would L show his face to you?"

Mello sent a sharp glare in her direction. Bambi raised her hands up defensively as she tried to explain herself. "Look, I'm just surprised that L agreed to show anyone his face before his successor was chosen."

He leaned back in his seat and looked down bitterly. "I was number one before Near came to the Wammy House. The only person who even came close to my level was Matt, and he never wanted to be L."

Bambi's gaze softened. "So, you were going to be his successor until Near came along?"

"Yeah, and that's why L agreed to meet with me to tell me about the detective wars."

She waited for him to continue, but he stopped speaking. Bambi looked down at her casted ankle as a small frown settled on her face. _"So, that's why he hates Near. Everything was falling into place for him, but Near going to the Wammy House completely ruined it for him."_

The next thirty minutes were silent as Watari drove through a city. He slowed down and parked next to a tall hotel. Bambi got up and onto her crutches as the other two exited the car. Mello grabbed his suitcase with his good arm, and Watari picked up Bambi's suitcase. The younger two followed Watari into the lobby, where they received strange looks from the occupants because of their heavy bandages. The trio then stepped into an empty elevator. Watari pushed a button, and the elevator began rising to the top of the building.

The ride up was silent. As Bambi looked to the side, she saw Mello looking down with a slight scowl visible on his face. She frowned, knowing that their earlier conversation was likely still bothering him. The brunette looked back up and stood there silently in anticipation. She knew that she was mere moments away from meeting L face to face for the first time. Even if she disliked the detective, it would still be like meeting a celebrity. Bambi took a calming breath to ease her nerves.

When the elevator reached one of the highest floors, Watari led the injured investigators down the hall. He stopped and unlocked a door. He let Mello and Bambi in before closing the door behind himself. As Bambi looked around the lavish room, she found no one else there. Frustration began to bubble up inside her as she recalled the week prior when she first met Matt and Mello. She scoffed._ "This must be another one of his damn tests."_

Just as she contemplated calling announcing her thoughts, a man emerged from the kitchen. Bambi's eyes went wide as they landed on his lanky figure. He bore a close resemblance to Beyond with his dark eyes and his messy, black hair. Despite the resemblance, she knew that he wasn't Beyond. This man was several inches taller, his hair was more voluminous, and his eyes wider.

As he spoke, Bambi noticed that his voice was different from Beyond's wild and frenzied voice: it was calm and collected as he looked directly at her and said, "I am L."

She glanced over to Mello to confirm that this person was really L. The blond raised his eyebrows and smirked at her, confirming the truth behind his story and this man's words.

When the pair looked back over to L, he continued. "I'm sure that Watari informed you that you are to call me Ryuzaki." Bambi and Mello nodded. "Additionally, you two are not allowed to leave HQ. Watari and I will accompany you when we switch hotels."

"What?!" Bambi cried out. "Why?"

L looked back at her as he replied, his voice almost condescending. "If you two had acted reasonably when you met and worked together, none of this would have been necessary and you would both be in Los Angeles, uninjured."

As Mello looked down, Bambi narrowed her eyes at the detective and argued, "Well, _maybe_ that wouldn't have happened if you told us all the same thing instead of testing us!"

"If you passed the test, it wouldn't have happened either." L retorted.

Bambi opened her mouth to argue again, but found no valid argument. She closed her mouth and looked to the side with a huff.

"Now, that you're done arguing, allow me to inform you of the progress of the case so far."

Bambi looked up to see the detective walking over to a table with a half-eaten strawberry shortcake in the middle. She followed Mello and L to the table and took a seat.

"I have been working with a Japanese Task Force the past few weeks. I have determined that Kira is in Japan, and can kill with only a face and name. He is also capable of controlling the time of death of his victims. I have also concluded that there is a leak of information coming from the Task Force, and Kira has access to said information. In response to this, eight days ago I sent out twelve FBI agents to investigate the Task Force members and their families. I have compiled files of the rest of the information for you to read up on." L signaled Watari, who brought a large stack of folders to the table. L smiled before adding, "Now go ahead and read. It's not like you have anywhere important to go."

As he stood to leave, Bambi narrowed her eyes at him. _"Jackass."_

*** * * December 27 * * ***

Four days had passed since Bambi and Mello arrived in Japan, and they had moved hotels in that time. The youngest investigators had gone through all of the files, but L didn't allow them to do anything else because the Task Force had already been assigned all of the work. The two were currently playing poker on the kitchen table. Bambi's poker face was perfect, but so was Mello's. It was almost time to show their cards, and she had a royal straight. When a voice sounded off from L's computer on the other side of the room, the two paused to listen.

"L… I just got word of the deaths of our agents in Japan. I tried contacting all twelve of our agents in Japan, but I couldn't reach any of them."

Bambi looked up to see L's eyes wide in surprise. _"I guess he didn't monitor them as much as he should have."_

The voice continued, "I think Kira killed them all."

L waited a moment before speaking into the microphone. "Chief, calm down and listen to me carefully: Did any of the agents know the others' faces?"

There was a pause before the man replied, "Not until yesterday."

The two continued until L came to the realization, "If Kira can manipulate their actions before death, it's possible that he saw one of their copies, made that one send it to the others, and killed them."

L stood there with his hand to his mouth, thinking, when the Chief of the FBI spoke up. "L, I'm sorry, but I'm calling off our Japanese investigation."

He cited his reasons before informing L that he was going to tell the Japanese Task Force that he was working under L's orders. He then ended the call. Bambi and Mello exchanged glances, silently agreeing to wait for their superior to give them orders.

*** * * December 31 * * ***

Another four days had passed, and another hotel switch occurred. Bambi and Mello were playing another round of poker while they half-listened to L as he spoke through his microphone again, "Earlier I said 'I only trust you people.' Watari."

She rolled her eyes at his statement and mumbled, "Who's he lying to now?"

Mello raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure that he's lying?"

She deadpanned. "It's L. He always lies."

After a few moments, L approached the pair. The blond was the first to look up and say, "What's up, Ryuzaki?"

"I am having the members of the Task Force meet me here. However, just in case any of them is Kira, I want the two of you to hide in the bedroom until Watari retrieves you. Until then, I want you to be as silent as possible."

Bambi's eyes widened. "What?! Ryuzaki, if any of them is Kira—"

"Room. Now."

She pouted. "Fine."

The young woman got up onto her crutches, pocketed her cards and chips, and started making her way to the bedroom. Mello followed her shortly after doing the same. The bedroom contained a king-sized bed which the pair claimed as the playing table due to the lack of any actual tables in the room. They continued their poker game for another hour before stopping, bored of the game.

They heard the door to the suite open, followed shortly by L's voice as he spoke to the people who had just entered, "I am L."

Bambi and Mello were both fixated on the door, listening as the group got further away and more muffled. When the new group was out of range, the brunette frowned. She carefully shifted her body, putting a pillow under her broken ankle before leaning back on the bed. Mello followed suit, leaning next to her.

Bambi whispered to Mello, "The other day, Watari said that a SWAT member from your team leaked that Beyond escaped prison. Do you think that Kira will get him before Matt and Near do?"

"Beats me. There are tons of criminals out there, who knows if he's on Kira's hit list or not."

She acknowledged his response and looked up at the ceiling above her. Although she was tired, Bambi desperately fought off the need for sleep, knowing that she would just have another nightmare about her time in her prison. Mello eventually drifted off, and unfortunately for her, Bambi did too.

*** * * January 1 * * ***

Bambi was woken up from her horrors by Mello roughly shaking her shoulder. She put a hand over her face as she pushed herself into a sitting position next to him.

Neither of them would look at each other as Mello quietly said, "You were starting to make noise."

"Sorry."

After a few minutes of silence, the door opened. The pair looked up to see Watari entering the room as he said, "L has determined that none of the Task Force members are Kira. They all have his trust, and we are going to meet them now, so it's time for you two to get up."**  
**

Bambi brushed her bedhead out of her face and got up and onto her crutches. She and Mello followed Watari out to another room in the suite where five men plus L were gathered around a table.

Watari greeted them, "Good work everyone. You must be thinking 'This old geezer is Watari?' Ryuzaki has told you everything, correct? Ryuzaki must really trust you all if he let you see my face."

"Ye..Yes," the youngest-looking officer replied before looking over to Bambi and Mello with his eyebrows raised. "What about them, Ryuzaki? They're just kids, they can't be on the case too."

L looked at him and responded, "These "kids" are two of the smartest people in the world—besides myself." Bambi was taken aback by L's compliment as he gestured to them individually. "This is Mello, a field specialist, and Bambi, a technology specialist."

The younger man looked at Bambi and Mello, still obviously unsure. The older looking man with glasses said to him, "Matsuda, you know that my son has helped us with many cases, and these young people look just about his age. If Ryuzaki trusts them and says that they are smart, I believe him."

Matsuda looked down sheepishly before saying, "I guess you're right, Chief. Sorry for doubting you."

After each member of the Task Force introduced themselves, L bluntly continued. "They are here under my strict supervision and are not allowed to leave the hotel without my permission. If I do not specifically say to you that they are allowed to leave, they are not allowed to leave. Do not let them convince you otherwise."

Despite Bambi's and Mello's protests, L continued with his business. He handed out the fake badges that Watari had brought, followed by the belts, explaining each of them to the new Task Force.


	10. The Yagami Investigation

*** * * January 5 * * ***

Several days had passed since Bambi and Mello met the Task Force. Headquarters had moved yet again, and L had finally begun to let the pair help more with the investigation. Bambi was currently sitting on the couch between L and Aizawa, her crutches propped up against the couch behind them. The three of them were watching the footage of Raye Penber's death. L sat in his usual position as the footage rolled. Aizawa leaned forward, focusing on Penber's grainy image. Bambi leaned back and put her hands behind her head, making herself comfortable as she watched the screen.

She scanned the blurry screens for what details she could find as L narrated Penber's movements and pointed out how strange his behavior was. During that time the hacker noticed that something Penber had been carrying at the beginning of the footage had gone missing.

The brunette tilted her head and mused, "He left something behind. Maybe an env-"

"The envelope's gone?!"

Bambi cringed at the volume coming from L next to her before sending an annoyed glare in his direction.

Aizawa jumped at their sudden realization. "The envelope?" he asked, before spotting it himself. "Oh! You're right!" He leaned in and pointed at the screen. "He's holding it here too. That's amazing, you two! You notice the smallest details."

"At least someone heard me," Bambi grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest.

If anyone heard her this time, she was ignored. Chief Yagami added that there was no envelope found in his articles. After a brief conversation, L instructed Matsuda and Chief Yagami to investigate Penber's death. Immediately after that, Watari informed L of an important call on the line.

He answered the call as everyone else sat and watched. After a pause he exclaimed, "Penber's fiancée?!" He paused again before looking at Watari. "Naomi Misora… sounds familiar."

Bambi's eyebrows furrowed. _"Naomi Misora... I know that name too, but where do I know it from?"_

She glanced over to Mello, who was leaning against a wall, visibly tensed. His eyes were narrowed as he looked down as his feet, fists clenched. When the blond looked up, Bambi raised an eyebrow at him. He relaxed a little, though the brunette could still see anger in his blue eyes. She mouthed 'what?' to the young man.

He shook his head before answering in English, leaving the Task Force members unable to understand him. "Don't you remember _our_ case from a few weeks ago?"

Then it dawned on her: Naomi Misora was the FBI agent who arrested Beyond Birthday.

As Bambi realized this, unwanted visions of the night Beyond kidnapped her flooded her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut when the visions took over what was really before her, but she still saw them. Her heart began pounding, her breaths shorter and quicker, and her grip on her knees tightened. Tears began to stream down her face. It all felt too real. _"I'm going to die!"_

As the memories played over and over again, Bambi heard an echo calling out to her, getting louder and louder as the visions faded away, and she was finally looking at Mello's face right in front of her.

He loosened his tight grip on her shoulders as he said, "It's alright. You're at Headquarters now with me, Ryuzaki, and everyone else."

He let go, but waited for a response. Old tears rolled down her cheeks, and her breaths were ragged. She glanced around, finding everyone's attention on her. Blood rushed to her wet cheeks as she looked down at her lap.

She wiped her tears and spoke, her voice shaky. "I'm... fine, Mello."

Bambi sat in silence, trying to recollect herself as the rest of the Task Force discussed Naomi Misora and Raye Penber. She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands, unwilling to look up at everyone yet. Mello grabbed a chocolate bar from his stash in the bedroom and returned, taking Aizawa's place next to her. The brunette sat back up, feeling more like herself again. She glanced to the young man beside her and discreetly smiled, glad to finally be on his good side as a friend. She heard L say something about the families investigated by Penber promptly followed by a loud outburst from the Japanese members of the Task Force.

After a brief argument, L spoke up, his tone demanding. "Sub-Chief Kitamura's family and Chief Yagami's family. Then, please install cameras and electronic bugs in these households."

Bambi and Mello watched in amusement as Matsuda and Aizawa protested the idea, both young detectives sitting cross-armed as they leaned back.

The youngest spoke up as an amused smirk found its way to her face. "They need to relax. It's not like L follows the rules anyway."

Mello nodded. "Plus he'd do it whether they agreed or not. So, it's not like it matters."

"Very true."

Surprisingly, Chief Yagami agreed that it was a necessary measure, even if it was illegal. Matsuda brought up that Chief Yagami had a wife and a daughter, causing another outburst from the Chief.

L piped up. "This requires some sacrifices." Once the Task Force members had been silenced, he continued. "Well then, the Chief, Bambi, and I will monitor the Yagami home. The other three will monitor the Kitamura family. We will watch the families for seven days. Depending on how things go, we may stop early. When the surveillance is finished, inform the families. Leave no equipment either."

*** * * January 8 * * ***

Bambi sat in one of the monitor rooms, leaning back with her arms behind her head, a dull look in her eyes, and a slight pout on her face._ "This is so boring." _L and Chief Yagami sat on either side of her, all three of them watching the cameras as the Chief's son got home from school.

As they watched him enter the door, L spoke up. "Light Yagami..."

"What about him?" The youngest inquired.

"According to the people who installed the instruments, there was a small trap made to tell whether or not someone entered his room while he was out. Other than that, his room does not have anything strange."

"How elaborate was it?"

"It was a simple trap. Just a piece of paper in the doorway."

"Eh, I'd say that's pretty normal."

The Chief spoke up this time, hopeful. "What makes you say that?"

"He's my age, and I used to do that too."

L spoke again, his tone slightly amused. "That just raises my suspicions."

Bambi rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I wasn't the _only_ person to do it. Everyone at the orphanage did. I'm just saying that teens don't like people snooping through their stuff."_  
_

Throughout the short conversation, Light had walked into his room, laid down on his bed again, got up, and left the house.

Later on in the day, when Light returned to his room again, he plopped down on his bed and pulled out some magazines from underneath it. Bambi raised an eyebrow before he opened to the first page. A blush rose to her cheeks as she saw the image of a scantily clad, busty blonde laying down in a provocative position. The brunette crossed her arms again as she tried to disappear into the folds of the couch. _"Oh my God, this is so awkward. I am _not_ going to watch if he starts to..." _

Chief Yagami asked, baffled, "My son reads … porno magazines?"

L chimed in, pointing out that that's normal behavior for a boy his age, however, he suspects that Light is putting on a show for the cameras. When Chief Yagami asked if L thought Light could be Kira, the number one detective responded, "Of course. That's why I ordered your home to be put under surveillance as well."

Over the course of the rest of the surveillance, the Yagami family acted normal. On the second day of surveillance, Kira killed three small-time thieves, but that was the only abnormality. On day three, L had his bluff of 1500 new investigators broadcasted. Light Yagami caught onto this and announced it to his family, raising some suspicion from L. After five days of surveillance, the esteemed detective decided that they had seen enough.

*** * * January 15 * * ***

It had been several days since L ended surveillance of the two families, and Headquarters had moved yet again. Bambi was in the kitchen, getting herself something to drink, when L walked in.

"What's up, Ryuzaki?" She turned to face him on her crutches.

"Bambi, the To-Oh University entrance exams are in two days."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "To-Oh, isn't that the University that Light Yagami is looking at?"

"Yes."

Behind L, she could see Mello standing in the doorway, silently listening. The brunette did her best not to give away his presence as she continued to look L in the eye.

L continued. "You and I are going to take the entrance exams to keep an eye on Light Yagami when he enrolls in the University."

Mello angrily stomped up to the pair before arguing, "Why not me too?"

L turned to face him. "Your burns haven't recovered enough for you to go out in public without bandages. Bambi's injuries no longer cause her pain, and she can hide her stitches with long sleeves and pants. She will attract less attention with crutches than you will with half of your face bandaged."

Mello clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes in jealousy as he briefly glanced at Bambi. The brunette frowned, hoping that he wouldn't hate her again like he did when Matt chose her over him.

L then added with a smile. "Also, Bambi can't run away from me with a broken ankle."

Bambi rolled her eyes and scoffed at the comment. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Mello was frustrated, but he wouldn't dare argue further with the man he idolized so much. He stormed back out of the kitchen after grabbing another chocolate bar.

L turned back to Bambi to explain more. "I will be enrolling as the Japanese student, Hideki Ryuga."

She immediately recognized his intentions. He was using the name of a famous pop star, so the face of the pop star would likely be associated with the name more than L's. If the pop star died suddenly, L would know that Light is Kira. The brunette frowned. _"He's risking an innocent life for the sake of winning?"_

He continued. "Although you are fluent in Japanese, you still have a slight accent, one that's obviously North American. So, you will be enrolling as the Canadian international student, Emily Stone. Since that's not your real name you'll be safe. I don't want him to be able to make the connection between us, so your alias isn't famous. I want you to watch him in the background."

Bambi sighed before grumbling, "Fine."

"You have two days to prepare for the exams." L finished with a smile before returning to the rest of the Task Force.


	11. A Test of Skills

_Note: It has been one month and six days since Bambi left Washington DC._

* * *

*** * * January 17 * * ***

It was the day of the entrance exam, and L had decided that he and Bambi would take separate cars to the exam building. Watari had left ten minutes earlier with L, and Bambi was currently in the passenger seat of Matsuda's car as he drove her to To-Oh University. She rested her head in her hand as she watched the scenery go by and mentally reviewed the plan. Light knew Matsuda from working with the police to help solve a few cases, so the detective would not return to pick up Bambi until after Light had left. Bambi had already hacked into the university security cameras, so all they would need to do is watch for the young man to leave.

It had been silent for most of the ride before Matsuda decided to break the ice. "So, Bambi, what kind of subjects did you like in school?"

The brunette shrugged. "Frankly, I never cared for school. It was too boring." After a moment of thought she added, "I did like the breaks, though. I was able to hang out with my friends and do things that actually interested me then."

"Really? I guess I-"

"Matsuda!" She pointed as they passed the entrance to the building.

"What? O-oh!" He sheepishly pulled over to the side of the road several yards past the building. "Sorry, Bambi."

She quickly checked her watch, relieved to find out that they weren't late. "It's okay, Matsuda. At least you stopped."

Before he had the time to turn the car off and run around to her door, Bambi had already opened the door and maneuvered herself and her crutches out the door and onto the sidewalk. She shivered as she realized that her jacket was a bit too light for the weather, and picked up her pace.

As she trekked onward, Bambi heard Matsuda open his door and yell out, "Good luck!"

She cringed at the unwanted attention that he drew to her, hoping that Light didn't see it. After making her way up a set of stairs to the entrance, Bambi followed several signs to the designated testing room. As she entered the half-filled room, she followed the instructor's directions to seat number 87. Several people watched curiously as the brunette crossed the room on her crutches. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Light Yagami watching her with a bored look on his face and L watching him from a few seats away.

After about fifteen minutes, the rest of the room had filled up and the tests had been passed out. The instructor looked at his watch for a few seconds before saying, "Begin."

Bambi opened the test book and began to mentally translate the exam into English as she went along. She quickly began chipping away at the test—the sooner she was done, the better. Not even a minute had passed before the young woman heard the instructor walk toward the middle of the room.

"Student 162, please sit properly."

She glanced up to see L still sitting in his normal fashion. The hacker rolled her eyes at the sight as she returned her attention to her own exam. Hours upon hours had passed as she took the exam, but she got through it. After the exam, she packed up her pen and pencil, put on her jacket, got up onto her crutches and walked out the entrance. Flurries fell from the sky as Bambi paused at the top of the stairs before moving to the side and preparing herself to descend.

She had just transferred both crutches to one hand when she heard a familiar voice call out, "Excuse me, miss."

Bambi frowned briefly before turning her head. As she looked to the owner of the voice, she saw none other than Light Yagami hurrying next to her. In the background, she could see L passing by, a slightly concerned look in his eye.

"Do you need something?" She asked Light as he stopped next to her.

"Please, let me help you down the stairs—the snow is making them slippery, and I wouldn't want to see you get hurt." He gestured to the crutches in Bambi's hands.

She hesitated for a moment as she looked down at the steps. "They _do_ look slippery... Okay."

He held onto her free hand as she grabbed the railing with the other and the two carefully descended down the steps. Bambi quickly took her hand back and thanked him for his help before maneuvering her crutches under her arms again. She then moved off to the side and pretended to look out into the road for her ride.

He walked up next to her and smiled. "I'm Light Yagami, by the way."

She mentally cursed as he spoke. _"He's not going to leave, is he?"_ Having done undercover missions before, she knew that it was best to try not to interact with the suspect too deeply, but ignoring him could set him off.

Bambi smiled and said, "My name is Emily Stone. Normally I would shake your hand, but mine are a bit occupied at the moment." She nodded downward at her crutches.

He briefly glanced to the side before smiling at her. "Emily, huh? That's quite an English name you have."

"Close, but not quite."

"Where are you from, then?"

"Canada."

"Really?" He asked, curiosity clear in his voice. "What is a Canadian woman like you looking at a university in Japan for?"

She raised an eyebrow. "This is a good school, why wouldn't I be interested?"

"Touché."

During that bit of conversation, Bambi noticed L leaving out of the corner of her eye. She looked back out to the road, away from the young man standing next to her.

After a few moments of silence, Light spoke up again. "So, Emily, where are you staying?"

"I'm staying with a family friend a few towns over. I can't remember how to get there, though, so I'm just waiting here."

The young man smiled warmly at her. "Why don't I wait with you, then?"

She cooly responded, "Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine."

Light seemed slightly taken aback by her rejection before trying again. "Please, I insist. I couldn't just leave an injured and defenseless woman to wait by herself." His expression became stern. "The streets are dangerous this late in the evening."

Bambi frowned as she looked down at her feet in contemplation. She knew that he would just keep insisting until he got his way, and if she kept rejecting his offer, Light might get suspicious. There was no way out of it.

"Alright," she said with a sigh. "You can wait with me."

Light smiled at her as they waited for the ride that would never come. Over the next half hour, the pair conversed about little meaningless things like school and how the people in Japan are different in from the people in Canada. Then Light checked his watch and brought up how late it was getting.

"Why don't you call the person you're staying with?" He suggested.

Bambi smiled awkwardly. "I kinda left my phone at home—like, in Canada—and I'm horrible at remembering numbers." It was sort of true anyway: her phone _was_ still in Los Angeles with Near and Matt.

After thinking for a minute, Light offered, "Why don't you walk home with me? My dad is the Chief of the Japanese Police. When he gets home, we can give him your friend's name so he can find the address and drive you there."

Bambi was glad that Light wanted to get his father's help—that meant that L would be able to tell him what to do, and she would be brought back to Headquarters without suspicion unless Soichiro said anything funny. He probably wouldn't, though—Soichiro would do anything to prove his son innocent. A toothy grin found its way to her face.

"Oh! I _thought_ your name sounded familiar. Knowing that, I'm comfortable coming with you."

Light's face lit up with relief. "Great! Let's go."

Bambi turned and followed him down the sidewalk. As the amount of snow falling began to increase, snowflakes began to stick to the young woman's hair, though they melted when they came into contact with Light. While they walked, the young man caught several glimpses of her bandaged arms as she moved forward with her crutches.

After a few minutes of casual conversation, he asked, "So, Emily, what is your opinion on Kira?"

She raised her eyebrows in shock as she glanced at him. She lowered her eyebrows and looked down at her feet as she seriously considered the question for the first time. A light breeze swirled around them, tousling the young woman's hair around as it weaved more snowflakes into it.

After a few moments of contemplation, she sighed. "If you had asked me that question a year ago, I would have told you that he was doing the wrong thing. Now, though... I'm not so sure anymore."

"Really?" Light raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

She focused on moving her crutches to block out any returning memories as she bitterly answered, "It's personal."

He seemed slightly taken aback by her negative reaction, but said nothing. His eyes trailed up her figure, lingering only at her casted ankle, her bandaged arms, and the visible scar on her cheek.

After a few moments, Bambi apologized for the tone of her response. Now sounding more normal again, she asked, "What about you, Light? What do you think of Kira?"

He waited for a moment before responding, "I haven't decided yet. I ask people to help form my own opinion."

She nodded. _"It's a convenient answer if he _is_ Kira. I hope for his father's sake that he isn't, though." _The two were silent for a few minutes as Bambi focused more on walking. Over time, her arms began to grow tired and she started moving slower and slower. Light took notice of this and slowed down to match her pace.

"We're almost there—just a few more blocks." He assured her.

It took another fifteen minutes, but they both made it to Light's house. Bambi followed him through the gates and up to the door.

He let her in and called out, "I'm home!"

An older woman walked toward the door. "Where have you been, Light? You were supposed to be home—Oh." She cut herself off as she saw a young woman standing next to her son.

Light gestured to Bambi and said, "Mom, this is Emily."

A younger girl ran over. "Is she your girlfriend?!"

The detective raised an unamused eyebrow at the suggestion. _"I guess it makes sense that she would jump to that conclusion,"_ she thought. _"He didn't bring any girls home during the surveillance, even when Soichiro said that he was out on a date."_

"No, Sayu." Light cleared up, addressing his sister. "Emily's friend forgot to pick her up after the exam, and I brought her here so that dad could help get her home."

Sayu pouted at her brother's response. "Aw, okay. Nice to meet you anyway."

The middle-schooler ran back to the other room as Mrs. Yagami spoke up. "Well, Emily, my husband might not be back for a while, but you are welcome stay for dinner."

Bambi bowed her head to Light's mother. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's no problem, dear!" Sachiko then walked into another room.

As Light took off his shoes he explained, "My father is very busy with his work, and has his cellphone off when he's out, so there is no way of contacting him during the day."

"I see." Bambi frowned as she looked down at him. She realized that she probably sees Soichiro more than his family does now because of the Kira case.

The brunette carefully moved her crutches and sat down to take off her one shoe. Light then helped her stand up again and led her to the dining room table, where Sayu was already sitting.

As the four of them began eating, Sayu asked, "Hey, Emily, how did you break your ankle?"

Bambi paused as she remembered her arguments with Mello, slipping in the bathroom, and Matt helping her out. She smiled and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she said, "I slipped on a puddle. It's really embarrassing, actually."

"Oh." Before the hacker could take another bite, Sayu interrupted her again. "How did you get that scar on your cheek?"

Bambi froze and her grip on her chopsticks tightened. Her heart rate began speeding up again as visions of being chained to the wall flooded her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut as the vision of Beyond advanced toward her. She recalled the exact moment when he grabbed her face and made that cut. Bambi took a shaky deep breath as she tried to ignore the memories and remember that they were over now.

Having successfully done this, she looked down at her food and said, "It was nothing."

Sayu looked disappointed at her lack of a detailed response, but Light and Mrs. Yagami picked up that there was something off about the way that their guest answered. Luckily for her, Soichiro opened the door and walked in before Light could ask. He walked into the dining room, where the rest of the Yagami's greeted him.

Light spoke up. "Dad, this is Emily. She's an international student and is staying with a friend, but he forgot to pick her up after the exam. Could you please help her find his address?"

"It may not be that difficult." Soichiro responded before turning to his fellow Task Force member. "Emily, is your friend's name Takeshi Moto?"

She knew that L had to have planned this out so she smiled and said, "Yes, that's him."

"There was a young man by that name who came to the station earlier looking for an Emily Stone who looks just like you."

As Soichiro finished, Sachiko smiled at Bambi. "Isn't that lucky? Your friend was looking for you after all."

Soichiro spoke again. "I'll call the station and have them contact him so he can pick you up. I think he lived not far from here, so you shouldn't be waiting for too much longer."

Bambi bowed lightly to him. "Thank you, sir."

He walked into another room to make the phone call to "the station"—which really meant that he had Watari call him so he could signal whoever was picking Bambi up to leave. After about twenty minutes, the doorbell rang. Soichiro had Bambi follow him to the door, and Light tagged along too. The door opened to reveal Mello standing there in his fur-lined sweatshirt with his face half bandaged. Bambi's eyes momentarily widened, surprised that L decided to let the blond out of Headquarters looking the way he does. After a moment, she realized that he was the only person who really could get her. She smiled sheepishly at him. _"I bet he's happy to finally be in on some of the action, even if it _is_ a lame rescue mission."_

Mello smirked at her teasingly before turning to Soichiro. "Chief Yagami, thank you for helping me find Emily."

"You're welcome, but please be on time to pick her up next time."

"Will do, sir." Mello answered before turning back to Bambi. "C'mon, Em. Get your shoe on so we can go—I left the oven on."

The brunette suppressed a giggle fit at the mental image of Mello baking cookies before sitting down and quickly throwing on her shoe. She was helped up by Light behind her and Mello in front of her, both young men sending light glares at each other. Bambi felt uncomfortable, but pushed the feeling aside. After bidding her thanks and goodbyes, the young woman followed Mello down the path, out the gate, and to the car he drove.

~o~

A while after Emily left, Light was back on his computer in his room looking up criminals to kill. In his search, he ran into an article from the previous month about an unnamed woman who was found tortured and chained to a wall in an abandoned building in northwestern California. The article stated that the kidnapper had not been located yet, but he was suspected to be the escaped criminal, Beyond Birthday, who was also the main suspect for a set of recent murders in Los Angeles.

When Light looked to the attached image, he was shocked. The image was of a bloodied young woman with brown hair, a cut on her cheek, and a swollen ankle. He recognized the mutilated body as the Emily he was just conversing with. In the photo, she was being carried by a young man with blond hair and harsh burns down his left side, whom Light identified as Emily's friend Takeshi.

_"Of course,"_ he thought. _"It all makes sense now. Ryuk laughed when she told me her name because she is going by an alias that her kidnapper wouldn't be able to track. Even after going through what she did, she still needs to continue on with her life. That must be why she's applying to To Oh. Thinking about it, 'Emily' probably agreed to go with me so easily when I mentioned my father's position because it made her feel safe. The reason she wasn't sure about her opinion on Kira anymore must be because she used to think that all killing was bad, but her experiences at the hands of this murderer changed that. Now I know that she was uncomfortable when Sayu asked about her scar because of who did it and all of the experiences around that."_

He narrowed his eyes at the image of the suspect on the screen before taking out the Death Note. Beyond Birthday will die in four days.


End file.
